Revealing Trump’s conditions for the Iranian national team to enter American territory to play its World Cup matches | sports

The US Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday evening that the Iranian national football team, which is currently training in Tijuana, Mexico, will be able to enter the United States the day before each of its three matches in the group stage of the World Cup.

Media reports over the weekend quoted Abu al-Fadl Basandideh, the Iranian ambassador to Mexico, as saying that the Iranian team would be forced to enter and leave the United States on the same day of the match, which raised questions about the logistical aspects and whether this would affect the team’s performance.

But a spokesman for the US Department of Homeland Security said, “Iran will not have to arrive on the same day as its matches.”

The spokesman added in a statement, “These statements are incorrect. Thanks to the generosity of President Donald Trump, the Iranian national team will be able to arrive a day before their matches.”

Speaking to Reuters in Tijuana via a translator on Monday, the Iranian ambassador to Mexico criticized American officials for refusing to grant visas to some employees of the Iranian Football Federation.

After weeks of uncertainty, the United States granted visas to all players last Friday, just 10 days before their first match.

But entry visas were not granted to a number of members of the Iranian delegation, including “key administrative and executive members,” according to the Iranian Football Federation.

The Iranian embassy in Mexico said that among them were the team manager, two performance analysts, the media director, and a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Iran is scheduled to play against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, then face Belgium in the same city 6 days later, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

The players were scheduled to train in Arizona, but that was changed after the United States and Israel launched a war on Iran at the end of last February.

Last March, Trump said that Iran was welcome to participate in the World Cup, but he did not think it was appropriate for the Iranian team to reside in the United States “for their lives and safety,” according to his claim.